


You'll Always Be My Hero

by PattRose



Series: The Hero Series [2]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, Sappy, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 17:05:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11741412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: It’s time to catch up on Jim and Blair’s new friend, Beth.  She’s 85 years old and Jim saved her life.  Now she’s changing theirs.A/N: This was written for Bravinto for asking for more.  Thank you.





	You'll Always Be My Hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bravinto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravinto/gifts).



You Will Always Be My Hero  
By PattRose  
Summary: It’s time to catch up on Jim and Blair’s new friend, Beth. She’s 85 years old and Jim saved her life. Now she’s changing theirs.   
Warnings: Sappy. Is that a warning?   
Rating: Teen  
Genre: Slash  
Word count: 3675  
A/N: This little sequel is for Bravinto for asking for a sequel to this story. I hope you like it.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/YouWillAlwaysBeMyHero_zpsz7nwooxb.jpg.html)

_We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason_.- **Unknown**

 

**Christmas Eve Morning**

Jim woke up and felt like he’d been run over by a car. _Oh that’s right, I was run over by a car, but I had a guardian angel looking out for me. I smell coffee. Beth must be up already._

Jim rolled over to see Blair’s behind and kissed the back of his neck. 

Blair stretched and yawned and turned over. “Good morning, Jim. It’s another good day to be alive, man.”

“I agree. Beth must be up already because all I can smell is coffee. Come on, let’s get our sleep pants and shirts on and go down and see what she’s up to,” Jim suggested. 

Blair smiled. “It’s hard to believe that we have an 85 year old woman living with us for the next two weeks. What’s first on the agenda?”

“You’re going to take me and Beth to my truck, so I can take her to her apartment, pick up the papers and key and then we’ll get to the bank before it closes.”

“Oh yeah, then I can get some presents for under the tree for Beth. It’s going to be great. I’m pretty good at picking presents out, if I do say so myself.”

Jim pulled his pants and shirt on and turned to Blair. “Are you going to get up sometime today?”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch.”

Jim walked down the stairs and found Beth sitting at the table all alone with a notebook from the drawer, taking notes. 

“Good morning, Beth. How are you feeling? I have some pills for you to take if anything hurts too much.”

“Good morning, Jim. I’m doing pretty well. Just out of sorts because I’m not used to sleeping here and I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“You aren’t, Beth. We want you here. You’re staying for two weeks. Today we’ll get some of your things so that you’ll feel more at home in the spare room. Okay?” Jim asked. 

“If you’re certain that I won’t be in the way, then I shall stay here and help take care of my favorite people.”

Blair came walking down the stairs at that moment and said, “Good morning, Beth. Are you in much pain today?”

“A little bit but nothing I can’t handle. You and Jim are so kind to let me stay here over the holidays. I’ll never be able to pay you back with just cookies,” Beth teased. 

Both men laughed. Jim said, “We’re going to get ready in a few minutes and then Blair will drop you and me off at my truck, so we can go by your apartment. We’ll get the bank things and your suitcases to make you more comfortable here. You don’t have any pets do you?”

“No, just me. I think that’s enough. If there is enough money from the insurance policy, I wondered if you boys would help me find an active adult community to move into. Are you familiar with any?” She wondered. 

Blair answered, “If anyone would know, I think Jim’s dad would be the one to ask. We’ll call him later tonight. Or we can ask him tomorrow when he comes for dinner.”

Beth looked horrified. “See, I am going to be in the way. You’re going to have family here and I don’t belong.”

Jim shook his head from side to side and frowned. “Beth, Beth, Beth. How many times do we have to tell you that you are welcome here and won’t be in the way? My dad comes every year for Christmas. He’ll enjoy meeting you and hearing the story of how we met. Not that I want him to worry about me, but he’ll be glad we’re both all right.”

Blair finished his coffee and said, “Time for my shower. No arguing with Jim, Beth.”

Beth laughed. “You guys are the nicest men I’ve ever met. Melanie would just love you.”

Blair walked into the bathroom and Jim sat down across from Beth and said, “Tell me more about Melanie.”

“We were together for 40 years, Jim. She only died six months ago. That’s why I’m still so sad. We did everything together and now to have no one my age around is very hard. The apartment complex I live in isn’t the friendliest, either. I can’t thank you enough for taking me to the bank today. I had to move out of our old apartment when Melanie died. I just couldn’t afford it by myself. We never talked about insurance or anything else. I had no idea she had a policy on herself. I knew I had one on me, but I never ever asked her about what she had planned. We thought we had so much time together, so we just never brought it up.”

“I bet she never thought to bring it up in case it would upset you. Some people are afraid of that. Blair and I have all of our paperwork taken care of for one another. It’s all been figured out and we are fine with all of it. This time, you’ll make plans for what happens to your money if anything happens to you. You don’t want that same thing happening again,” Jim explained. 

Blair came out of the bathroom and said, “Your turn Jim.” He walked upstairs to get dressed. He had his robe on and wanted to come down and talk to Beth. 

Jim said, “I take it you already showered, Beth?”

“Actually, I tried, but I didn’t want to get my cast all wet, so I just washed up a bit and ran a brush through my hair.”

“I’ll be right out and we can get the day underway. From now on, we’ll make special plastic bags covers for your wrist, so you can get in the shower.”

“Thank you, Jim. For everything.”

“Stop saying thank you for everything. I did nothing that anyone wouldn’t do for you,” Jim pointed out. 

She got up, touched his face sweetly and said, “You’ll always be my hero Jim Ellison.”

Jim blushed from the sweet words and said, “I’ll be done in a flash.”

As soon as he shut the door Beth turned to Blair and asked, “Is Jim special? Has he always been able to talk to the dead?”

“Just one other time that I know of. He told me Melanie came to visit. She’ll probably be able to rest now. So in answer to your question, I think Jim is special. He senses things others might not. Before I forget, I wanted to tell you how happy we are to have you here. We’ll find you a wonderful place to live and you can stay here for however long you need to.”

“Blair, darling, you shouldn’t say things like that. I might end up staying with you for a month,” Beth teased. 

“It doesn’t matter how long you stay with us. You’re one of the reasons that Jim is alive today. So we could never thank you enough for that.”

“Blair, it was Melanie that helped him, not me. I almost got him killed.”

“Beth, I don’t want to hear another word about it. Don’t talk like that in front of Jim, okay? He thinks the world of you and we’ve only known you one two days. By the way, I’m going to make a special dinner for you tonight and have a cake for your birthday. Would that be alright?”

She got up and hugged Blair as hard as she could. “Blair, I haven’t had this much attention since Melanie was taken from me. You’re too good to me. You both are.”

“Are you ready to go when Jim gets out?” Blair asked. 

Beth nodded in the affirmative and said, “I was born ready.” 

Both of them laughed at that statement and went on talking until Jim came walking out, fully dressed and ready to go. 

Jim and Beth rode with Blair to the station, where Jim’s pickup was parked in the underground garage. Once they got in the truck, Jim said, “Buckle up, we’re on our way. Oh wait, you never did tell me your address.”

“I’ll show you the way, sweetie. It’s straight down Center Street and you turn right on Hamilton Boulevard and my complex is down the street about one block. It’s truly not far from here. That’s why I was in this neck of the woods shopping. Plus I love people watching this time of year. They all seem so happy, don’t they?”

Jim turned on Hamilton and said, “They do seem happy, more or less. I’m a people watcher too, Beth. I love to watch all year round.”

Beth said, “This is my building right here. I can just go up and get my things.”

Jim laughed. “Now what do you think the odds are that I’m going to let my 85 year old friend go upstairs to get everything by herself?” 

It was Beth’s turn to laugh. “Thank you so much for everything you do for me. Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

Upstairs they packed up many items that were Beth’s and got the key from the vase on the table and walked back down to the truck again. Jim asked where her bank was and Beth told him it was around the corner. Jim was glad. That way they would have plenty of time to take care of business.

They parked outside of the bank and Jim walked in with Beth holding on to his arm. If someone would have asked they would be surprised to find out that Jim liked all the attention that Beth gave to him. Not to mention that sometimes it was just nice to be needed.

They went in, got the safety deposit box items, Beth opened up a savings and checking account and then left almost as quickly as they had come.

*

Blair was busy himself that day. He had to find some wonderful gifts for Beth for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. He decided on a gorgeous, warm, soft robe and slippers to match for that night when they all opened a present up. For Christmas day, Blair decided on some nice jewelry, scarfs and a new bedspread for the spare room. She could take it with her when she left. It was lovely. Very bright, cheerful and reminded him of Beth. He took twice as long to get everything done because it all had to be wrapped. Once it was done, Blair put everything in his trunk and headed to the grocery store for a birthday cake and some wonderful items for a special dinner for her. Blair just hoped that she liked what he had chosen.

*

“Where do you suppose Blair is? Shouldn’t he be home by now, Jim?”

“Calm down, Beth. He’ll be home soon. If anything was wrong, he would have called me to let me know. Let’s call your insurance company to let them know that Melanie has passed and they can start getting things in order. You’ll of course need a death certificate for them, because they won’t just take your word for it.”

“Could you do the talking on the telephone for me, Jim? I don’t hear as well as I used to.”

“I will gladly call for you. Give me the papers and we’ll get it done before Blair gets home.”

Jim got on the phone and talked to the man in charge. He asked if the day after Christmas, Beth could bring the death certificate to his office. Then he informed Jim that they would have a check ready for Beth in the amount of $200,000.00. Jim was stunned. Beth was going to be able to find a great place with that amount of money to work with. 

Jim got off the phone and relayed all the information to Beth. She was as surprised as Jim was about the amount. 

“I sure wish I could find a place close to you and Blair. I would feel so much safer with you both close by. I know, I can be annoying, but I’m afraid sometimes.”

“There is a building right next door to us that has condos on the first floor, so you wouldn’t have to climb stairs if the elevator wasn’t working. Would you like to see one of them? I just heard about them the other day. There was a brochure in our mailbox two days ago. It’s almost like fate. Then if you needed us, all you would have to do is call. Maybe you would luck out and find some other older people that live in the same building. That would be perfect.”

“Oh, Jim, could we look right now? Or should we wait for Blair?” 

Jim pulled his phone out and called Blair.

“Sandburg…”

“Hey Chief. We were thinking about looking at one of the condos next door for Beth. We wanted to know if you’re going to be home soon or much, much later.”

“You two go ahead and look. That’ll give me time to hide the presents. Go take her now and I’ll bring her cake home and all her presents.”

“See you later, Chief.”

Jim turned to Beth, wearing a smile and said, “It’s just the two of us, Beth. He’s going to be a while yet.”

“I’m ready whenever you are, Jim.”

The two new friends walked out the door, into the elevator and rode down with Jim asking if she was having any pain or not.”

“You remind me so much of my Melanie. She was always looking out for me. She was very protective too. I like that about you, Jim.”

They walked over to the next building since it was so close and asked the doorman if there was anyone they could see about buying a condo at this time. 

The doorman called Mr. Freeman and within moments, he was downstairs dying to show them the place. 

“I have two on the first floor and three on the second floor. They are very nice, Mrs. Samson.”

“Oh Mr. Freeman, it’s just Beth. I’m not a Mrs.”

“Do you want a two bedroom, or a one bedroom?”

“What do you think, Jim?”

“Do you work on a computer at all? Because if you do, I would get a two bedroom so you have an office.”

“I want a two bedroom, please,” Beth stated quite proudly that she made up her own mind. 

Mr. Freeman opened the door of the first condo and Jim was actually quite surprised. It was much larger than he would have thought it would be. 

“Mr. Freeman, how many square feet does each unit have?” Jim asked. 

“This one is 1500 square feet and the one bedroom units are 1000.”

Jim turned to Beth and said, “This is really nice, Beth and there is a doorman, so you’ll be safer. Not to mention you can call us at any time for help. What do you think of this place?”

“I think it’s beautiful. The kitchen is roomy and cozy at the same time. I like the fireplace for when it’s chilly at night. I love the hardwood floors. They are just gorgeous. What do you think so far? And did you notice that there are two bathrooms? I never expected to get a bathroom off my bedroom. This one is perfect.”

“How much do they run, Mr. Freeman? I guess we should have asked that first?”

“Before I tell you the price, let me tell you about the one bedrooms. They have two bathrooms, also. They are quite roomy and lots of storage for a one bedroom. The one bedroom is $59,000.00 and the two bedroom is $89,000.00. You have to pay an HOA fee to help pay for upkeep on the building and to keep the doorman. So no matter where you live the HOA fee is $120.00 a month. What do you think about it now?”

“Could you tell me if it’s mostly young people or if there are many older people like me here?” Beth asked. 

Mr. Freeman thought about it for a moment and said, “There are about five people on the first floor that are in their 70’s or 80’s. The second floor is a younger group. Are you still interested?”

“Could you possibly hold this two bedroom for me, until three days after Christmas? I’ll have my money by then. I’ll be paying cash.”

Mr. Freeman said, “I’ll need a $1,000.00 deposit to hold this one.”

Jim could tell by looking at Beth she didn’t have a thousand dollars to spend that day. So Jim did the next best thing. “Will you take Visa for the 1,000.00?”

Mr. Freeman took Jim’s Visa so fast, it wasn’t even funny. Beth started to fuss at Jim, but Jim told her who was boss. She finally gave in and let him do it. 

“Here is your receipt and we’ll see you right after Christmas. Merry Christmas to both of you.” He then walked them both to the front door of the building. 

Beth was so excited about the condo that she was bouncing. “Jim, did you see that the condo had a little back yard in case I would like to get a dog or something?”

“I did notice. It’s a really nice place, Beth. I think you’ll be very happy there. The bus route goes right by your front door, so that’s nice if you had to run somewhere.”

“I can’t wait to tell Blair about it. I hope he gets home soon.”

*

Blair had gotten home, hid the Christmas Eve present and put all the others under the tree. Then he started to make a Chinese dinner. He sure hoped she liked Sweet and Sour Chicken.

He was cooking away when Jim and Beth walked in the front door. Beth practically flew into the loft and hugged Blair in the kitchen. “Oh Blair, sweetheart, wait until you see the new place I’m getting. It’s right next door, but I promise I won’t bother you unless it’s an emergency.”

“This is fantastic news. You can come on Sunday’s for dinner to share with William. How does that sound? That way we can see each other at least once a week. Are there people your age living there?”

“I asked the same thing and Mr. Freeman told me on the first floor were the old farts.”

Jim burst out laughing. “Beth, you know he didn’t say it like that.”

“May as well have. It’s the truth. I’m so tickled to have that taken care of so I know I won’t be abusing our friendship by staying here too long.”

Jim touched Beth’s hand and said, “You know you are always welcome here, Beth.”

“I know I am, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.”

“You’re a wonderful person and Jim and I both adore you, that’s why. Now, I don’t want to hear any more negative things said about yourself. Congratulations on finding a new home.”

“It’s a super nice home, Blair. You’re going to like it. And speaking of liking something, when are we going to eat and then have cake?” Beth laughed. The boys joined in. 

They ate the Chinese dinner, followed by the glorious chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Beth loved chocolate. Blair already knew what she liked and didn’t like. 

After dinner, Jim did the dishes and Blair helped Beth unpack her bags and boxes. Her room looked more like Beth then and Blair knew she would be more comfortable there. 

“Thank you for helping me sweetheart. I wanted to tell you something but it’s a secret. Can you keep a secret?”

“Yeah, I think I could keep your secret. What is it, Beth?”

“While we were at the bank today, I set up a banking account and I told Jim I wanted privacy. The reason I did is because if something happens to me, you and Jim will be getting my money. I love you boys so much and we’ve only known each other two long and wonderful days.”

“Beth, you don’t have any family that would like to be in contact with you? Thank you for thinking of us, but you might have someone else you would like to give it to,” Blair explained. 

“Blair, I might be old, but I know what I want and don’t want. I want to spend Christmas day tomorrow with you two and I want to meet Jim’s dad. And I’d like to take a shower with the plastic cover over my wrist tomorrow. I feel like a slug. I haven’t done hardly anything.”

“We get up at about seven on Christmas day, is that too early for you?”

“That’s perfect for me. Thank you.”

“Come on Beth, let’s go out and open our packages from Santa’s helper for Christmas Eve.”

“Oh you little stinker. You bought me something? But I don’t have anything for the two of you.”

“That’s not what Christmas is about, Beth. And you know that. Come on. I can hear Jim out there moving things around. He’s dying to see what I got him.”

“I’m dying to see what you got him too. Come here and let me hug you, Blair. You are the best friend in the world. Aside from Jim, of course.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s go open presents.”

And they all did just that. 

_Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them._ - **Francesco Guicciardini**

The end


End file.
